Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• A conceptual framework for accessibility tools to benefit users with cognitive disabilities

  Paul Ryan Bohman, Shane Anderson (2005) — Proceedings of the 2005 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from WebAIM researchers at Utah State University proposes a conceptual framework to guide the development of accessibility tools that address the needs of users with cognitive disabilities. The authors argue that existing accessibility eva…

  • cognitive accessibility
  • accessibility tools
  • evaluation and repair tools
  • cognitive disabilities
  • scenario-based evaluation
  • web accessibility

• Web accessibility: is it just a "merry-go-round"?

  Donna Smillie (2006) — Proceedings of the 2006 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This position paper by Donna Smillie of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) examines the relationship between traditional web accessibility for people with disabilities and the emerging field of mobile web accessibility. Writing at a …

  • mobile accessibility
  • web accessibility
  • universal design
  • usability
  • cross-device compatibility

• The HearSay Non-Visual Web Browser

  Yevgen Borodin, Jalal Mahmud, I. V. Ramakrishnan, Amanda Stent (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents the original HearSay non-visual web browser (version 1/2), developed at Stony Brook University in collaboration with the Helen Keller Services for the Blind. HearSay is a free, open-source, cross-platform browser written in Java t…

  • non-visual web browser
  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • web accessibility
  • natural language processing
  • machine learning
  • VoiceXML
  • speech recognition
  • navigation
  • assistive technology
  • open source

• (Natural Language) Interaction with Graphical Representations of Statistical Data

  Leo Ferres, Petro Verkhogliad, Louis Boucher (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from Carleton University and Statistics Canada presents iGraph-Lite, a system that makes statistical graphs published in "The Daily" (Statistics Canada's main dissemination publication) accessible to blind and visually impaired users throu…

  • data visualization
  • blind users
  • visual impairment
  • natural language processing
  • web accessibility
  • accessible graphics
  • text-to-speech
  • data accessibility
  • government

• The Status of Using "Big Eye" Chinese Screen Reader on "Wretch" Blog in Taiwan

  Yui-Liang Chen, Yung-Yu Ho (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This short paper examines the accessibility of Wretch Blog (wretch.cc), one of the most popular blogging platforms in Taiwan, when used with "Big Eye," a Chinese-language screen reader. The authors find that most core functionality of the blog works …

  • web accessibility
  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • blogging
  • multilingual accessibility
  • navigation
  • alternative text
  • CAPTCHA
  • Global Accessibility
  • Chinese language

• Ajax Live Regions: ReefChat Using the Fire Vox Screen Reader as a Case Example

  Peter Thiessen, Charles Chen (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents ReefChat, an accessible Ajax chat application, and Fire Vox, an open-source screen reader extension for Firefox, as a proof-of-concept for WAI-ARIA live regions — one of the earliest practical demonstrations of this then-nascent s…

  • ARIA
  • live regions
  • web accessibility
  • AJAX
  • Web 2.0
  • screen readers
  • dynamic content
  • keyboard accessibility
  • instant messaging
  • open source

• Accessible Image File Formats: The Need and the Way (Position Paper)

  Sandeep R. Patil (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This position paper from IBM India argues that existing WCAG guidelines for image accessibility (alt text, longdesc, image maps) are insufficient because they rely on voluntary compliance by content authors and cannot address scenarios where images a…

  • image accessibility
  • alternative text
  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • visual impairment
  • metadata
  • web accessibility
  • dyslexia
  • accessible graphics

• Accessibility for Simple to Moderate-Complexity DHTML Web Sites

  Cynthia C. Shelly, George Young (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This detailed technical paper from Microsoft provides practical design and coding techniques for making Dynamic HTML and AJAX applications accessible using the browser and assistive technology capabilities available in 2007 — deliberately without rel…

  • web accessibility
  • DHTML
  • AJAX
  • JavaScript
  • keyboard accessibility
  • screen readers
  • semantic HTML
  • web development
  • assistive technology
  • dynamic content

• Using a CMS to Create Fully Accessible Websites

  Sébastien Rainville-Pitt, Jean-Marie D'Amour (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents Edimaster Plus, a content management system developed over five years by Netic Hypermedia Inc. in Quebec, Canada, designed from the ground up to generate fully accessible websites meeting all three WAI priority level…

  • web accessibility
  • content management systems
  • authoring tools
  • WCAG compliance
  • assistive technology
  • screen readers
  • accessible by default
  • semantic HTML

• Accessibility 2.0: People, Policies and Processes

  Brian Kelly, David Sloan, Stephen Brown, Jane Seale, Helen Petrie, Patrick Lauke, Simon Ball (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This influential paper by a multi-institutional UK team argues that the WAI's predominantly technology-focused approach to web accessibility is counter-productive, and proposes "Accessibility 2.0" — a user-focused, contextual, pluralistic alternative…

  • web accessibility
  • accessibility policy
  • WCAG
  • contextual accessibility
  • e-learning
  • organizational accessibility
  • social model of disability
  • stakeholder engagement
  • accessibility theory